Perhaps they'll listen now

Political Compass Test: Where Do I Stand On The Country and World?

Part 1: The Country and World

I’m not particularly fond of political labels, at least when it comes to applying them to myself. The problem is that when you openly ascribe to a particular group’s ideology, you’re holding yourself accountable to all their beliefs and actions, even if you don’t identify with them one hundred percent. Multiple times I have seen pundits be called out for not following what their political label implied they would.

This is often the case for liberals who take a conservative stance on an issue or conservatives who take a liberal stance on an issue.

A far better way to grasp the political leanings of a person is to see where they stand on the political compass. It’s not perfect, but you’ll come away with a far better idea of a person’s political opinions than if they were to simply tell you they were conservative or liberal.

So that’s what we’ll be doing today. Feel free to complete the test alongside me and be sure to enter your results into the comments below.

Let’s get into it.

This is a tough statement to start on, but it’s one that I have to disagree with. Trans-national corporations are run to make products and money. The interest of humanity is recognised in whatever good or service that the trans-national corporation provides. If we structure our society in a way where the pursuit of wealth doesn’t trample on the rights of others, there should be no problem with corporations dedicated only to money. If it serves humanity, people will be willing to pay for it. I won’t strongly disagree with the statement, as there are cases where some corporations survive off the harm they cause.

An easy one. We should all feel comfortable criticising our country if it does something wrong. Being a patriot is about maintaining the nation’s most ideal form. Blind, unconditional love does nothing for the people or the country.

It is not at all foolish to be proud of your country. This isn’t just about loving an inanimate piece of land but loving its people, institutions, culture, and history. No one chooses their place of birth, but your country can have a big impact on the person you become. I would certainly not be the person I am today if I were born in Afghanistan.

Another strongly disagree, and it’s for obvious reasons. If I really wanted to get into it, I could say that black Kenyans are the fastest runners or that Asians tend to have the highest IQs, but whenever you compare the races in matters of superiority, you start on a slippery slope that leads to a supremacist ideology.

If you were to look at this from a historical perspective, you would see many successful examples of this idea. A common enemy has been the bond for many nations’ alliances throughout wars and conquests. However, it’s debatable whether this kind of relationship is a ‘friendship.’ The United States and Soviet Union were allies during World War 2, but they weren’t so kind to each other in the decades after.

I’m not entirely educated on the fine details of international law and its history of violations, but in general, the breaking of a law can be justified. If a nation needed to violate some maritime fishing laws in order to save the world from nuclear destruction, I’m sure the international community would be fine.

I agree with the underlying principle that guides this statement. Entertainment can make information easier to swallow, but in the process, the information may be blunted or tainted by subjectivity. You should always strive to consume objective information on top of any edutainment you might read or watch. Does this issue worry me though? Not really.